I am crazy thankful that the family has pitched in and posted about our trip. While not everyone wrote as much as I wish they had (or been nearly as descriptive...or funny...or touching), it gets it down on the record, so I'm satisfied :-)
There were some fun moments though in my mind that weren't recorded so here you go. And I'd like to give a mention to the ninth member of our trip: Mr. Sunshine. Seriously, I have never had so many pictures from Ireland with t-shirts, sunglasses and squinting!
1. Yet another visit to the Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet. And yet again, the good old Kennedy family was a star, being asked to taste the spare ribs before they were served to the masses!
2. The Giant's Causeway. We took the tour again, but this time our tour guide was FANTASTIC! Too, I've never managed to get a good picture on the Giant's Boot...until now!
3. Climbing the Shepherd's Stairs. See that staircase that Rebecca is pointing to? Yep, we climbed that yet again (although I'm pleased to report that those seven miles a day of walking have really paid off--I was hardly even winded!).
4. Dunluce Castle. Probably one of my favorite spots in Ireland. Unfortunately, all of the machines for the audio tour are broken, so we didn't really get the full experience. However, it was still so beautiful. If I could pick a time and place to go back and live, I do believe I would be the Lady of Dunluce.
5. OLLLLLLLLLLLLLD Bushmills. I know, it makes absolutely no sense for us to visit a whiskey distillery, and yet we do every time. I actually went for one reason: to take a picture with the well-maintained red phone booth there. And I knew exactly how I wanted everyone to pose. And it's probably the best picture of the trip!
6. Obviously, Newgrange and Knowth were not on the top of anyone's list, but they were requested by John, so we went. Newgrange is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland and Northern Ireland. They are 5,000-year-old passage tombs. The site just so happened to be on the way down to Dublin, so we hit it on our last day there. We've visited Newgrange before, but I must admit that I enjoyed Knowth more.
It's funny to hear how the mounds were used over the centuries. I think most people didn't know that there was something underneath the mounds, because many of them built churches, and look-outs, and even homes on the tops of the mounds. I have to give the ancient people the fact that there are great views from the top!
7. Dublin. Usually, our trips to Dublin consist of visiting Trinity College, but this time we kept it more loosey goosey. In fact, everyone wanted to go to Hard Rock Dublin, and it didn't disappoint.
Afterwards, we all had some shopping that we wanted to do. I personally lobbied for a visit to the actual Avoca shop (and not just seeing some of the Avoca wares at Blarney Woolen Mils).
The store didn't disappoint. In fact, if anything, we all left wanting something more. Unfortunately, the prices kept us from walking out with more than a couple of scarves and some socks. But it was just a feast for the eyes and for the touch. All that beautiful wool, in beautiful colors. Ugh, we definitely needed a clearance rack!
Mark too was able to find a sporting goods store where he bought some jersey from the national sport of Ireland. Hurling, maybe? Or maybe Cricket. I can't remember.
8. Mark was sick. Okay, this wasn't a favorite for anyone, but Tuesday night, Mark started feeling sick. And as it turns out, it got REALLY sick. Coughing all night, fevers during the day. I had much more sympathy for how he was feeling when I contracted the same illness three days later...and spent the next two weeks flat out on the couch, heavily medicated and feeling like crap. And John got it. And so did Ethan. Needless to say, he was a trooper, hanging with us most of the time.
8. Being Together. I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Heaven will be any place where I'm with my family. Since Ireland seems to be the place this happens, Heaven must be Ireland.
There were some fun moments though in my mind that weren't recorded so here you go. And I'd like to give a mention to the ninth member of our trip: Mr. Sunshine. Seriously, I have never had so many pictures from Ireland with t-shirts, sunglasses and squinting!
1. Yet another visit to the Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet. And yet again, the good old Kennedy family was a star, being asked to taste the spare ribs before they were served to the masses!
2. The Giant's Causeway. We took the tour again, but this time our tour guide was FANTASTIC! Too, I've never managed to get a good picture on the Giant's Boot...until now!
3. Climbing the Shepherd's Stairs. See that staircase that Rebecca is pointing to? Yep, we climbed that yet again (although I'm pleased to report that those seven miles a day of walking have really paid off--I was hardly even winded!).
4. Dunluce Castle. Probably one of my favorite spots in Ireland. Unfortunately, all of the machines for the audio tour are broken, so we didn't really get the full experience. However, it was still so beautiful. If I could pick a time and place to go back and live, I do believe I would be the Lady of Dunluce.
 |
| Every time they got a hold of my phone.... |
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| Baby, taking after Poppie, and always breaking the rules.... |
5. OLLLLLLLLLLLLLD Bushmills. I know, it makes absolutely no sense for us to visit a whiskey distillery, and yet we do every time. I actually went for one reason: to take a picture with the well-maintained red phone booth there. And I knew exactly how I wanted everyone to pose. And it's probably the best picture of the trip!
6. Obviously, Newgrange and Knowth were not on the top of anyone's list, but they were requested by John, so we went. Newgrange is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland and Northern Ireland. They are 5,000-year-old passage tombs. The site just so happened to be on the way down to Dublin, so we hit it on our last day there. We've visited Newgrange before, but I must admit that I enjoyed Knowth more.
 |
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| Allison definitely the YIN to Mark's YANG! ;-) |
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| Look at all that SUN! |
7. Dublin. Usually, our trips to Dublin consist of visiting Trinity College, but this time we kept it more loosey goosey. In fact, everyone wanted to go to Hard Rock Dublin, and it didn't disappoint.
Afterwards, we all had some shopping that we wanted to do. I personally lobbied for a visit to the actual Avoca shop (and not just seeing some of the Avoca wares at Blarney Woolen Mils).
The store didn't disappoint. In fact, if anything, we all left wanting something more. Unfortunately, the prices kept us from walking out with more than a couple of scarves and some socks. But it was just a feast for the eyes and for the touch. All that beautiful wool, in beautiful colors. Ugh, we definitely needed a clearance rack!
Mark too was able to find a sporting goods store where he bought some jersey from the national sport of Ireland. Hurling, maybe? Or maybe Cricket. I can't remember.
8. Mark was sick. Okay, this wasn't a favorite for anyone, but Tuesday night, Mark started feeling sick. And as it turns out, it got REALLY sick. Coughing all night, fevers during the day. I had much more sympathy for how he was feeling when I contracted the same illness three days later...and spent the next two weeks flat out on the couch, heavily medicated and feeling like crap. And John got it. And so did Ethan. Needless to say, he was a trooper, hanging with us most of the time.8. Being Together. I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Heaven will be any place where I'm with my family. Since Ireland seems to be the place this happens, Heaven must be Ireland.
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